(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an adjustable gas ejection slot and more particularly to a water tight shell joint for super cavitating underwater vehicles with an adjustable gas ejection slot.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Systems for reducing the drag on a vehicle moving through a fluid by ejecting a fluid into a boundary layer adjacent the nose portion of a vehicle are known in the art. One such system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,603,278 to Nedderman et al.
The forward shell of a super cavitating underwater vehicle requires three or more supplemental gas ejection slots in order to maintain a cavity over the entire vehicle. The gas flow needs to be metered in order to provide the correct amount of gas at the right location. The width of the slot needs it to be matched to the volume of gas being ejected in order to get a uniform cavity.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a shell joint for a vehicle with at least one adjustable gas ejection slot.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a shell joint as above with at least one slot which can be adjusted to match a volume of gas which needs to be ejected in order to obtain a uniform cavity over the vehicle.
The foregoing objects are attained by the shell joint of the present invention.
In accordance with the present invention, a shell joint for use on a vehicle, particularly an underwater vehicle, is provided. The shell joint broadly comprises a female member defining a first part of at least one slot for ejecting gas, a male member defining a second part of the at least one slot, and means for adjusting the width of the at least one slot to obtain a volume of ejected gas sufficient to obtain a uniform cavity about the vehicle.